Western Kentucky Hilltoppers want to channel the spirit of famed former coach E.A. Diddle to help “Spread the Red” for this basketball season.

The Spread the Red campaign kicked off today at the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast, featuring the voice and a likeness of Diddle talking about how special Hilltopper fans are. A Harley-Davidson-riding Big Red, cheerleaders and WKU’s drum line joined the celebration.

The video – which shows Diddle’s likeness looking on at today’s basketball team – and two others paid for by breakfast sponsor Houchens Industries will be shown again at the first men’s home game Nov. 15 against Alabama A&M.

Jim Holton, president of Fleck Media, which produced the videos, said he is enlivened by the campaign and hopes it does the same for others who see it.

Members of the WKU men’s team sat in the crowd during the breakfast, watching with others. One player recorded the video on his cell phone.

WKU freshman Brandon Peters said he was impressed with the videos and watched with a grin as audience members were encouraged to wave their “Spread the Red” towels.

Bowling Green resident Bob Appling said it was great.

WKU men’s basketball coach Ken McDonald and athletic director Ross Bjork hopes “great” translates into season-ticket sales and an in-the-arena enthusiasm that was a staple during Diddle’s decades-long career at WKU. The stands then held 13,000 people.

“We want to get back to that point,” McDonald said. “We really want to fill the arena and have it feel like there are 13,000 fans.”

With modern luxury boxes and other improvements and renovations, E.A. Diddle Arena now seats 7,326.

But what the crowd lacks in numbers, McDonald hopes it makes up for in spirit.

McDonald joked that Bjork had hired former Navy Seals to watch the entrances of Diddle Arena to make sure no one gets in without the red towel made famous by Diddle.

“We want to recapture the spirit of E.A. Diddle,” Bjork said.

As the 700 or so people filed out of Sloan Convention Center, cheerleaders handed out fliers with the “Spread the Red Challenge,” which asks fans to:

• Purchase yard signs advertising the “WKU Game Tonight.” The 12-inches by 18-inches signs are available for $21.50 each by e-mailing lindsay.thomas1@wku.edu;

• Use marquees to advertise “WKU Game Tonight”;

• Place WKU schedules and posters in businesses;

• Purchase season tickets, starting at $25 for the Lady Toppers and $99 for Hilltoppers, with a donation to the Hilltopper Athletic Association;

• Help sell out games by bringing friends and family to the games.

— For more information about basketball and other WKU athletics tickets, call 800-5BIGRED or go to wku sports.com.